Dr. Arthur Smith is a specialist in adult cardiology and interventional cardiology. He works in Austin, TX, La Grange, TX, and San Marcos, TX. Dr. Smith is in-network for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Blue Cross Blue Shield Bronze, and Blue Cross Blue Shield Gold, in addition to other insurance carriers. He is a graduate of McGill University Faculty of Medicine. He has received professional recognition including the following: Texas Super Doctors. He is professionally affiliated with Seton Healthcare Family and Central Texas Medical Center.

Dr. Curtis Solomon works as a cardiologist and interventional cardiologist. He is professionally affiliated with Seton Healthcare Family and Central Texas Medical Center. He is in-network for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Blue Cross Blue Shield Bronze, and Blue Cross Blue Shield Gold, in addition to other insurance carriers. Dr. Solomon attended medical school at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine.

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What is Interventional Cardiology?

Interventional cardiology is the treatment of heart disease without surgery, through the use of catheters. Primarily this is via a procedure called cardiac catheterization, where a long, thin, flexible tube, called a catheter, is threaded through a vein or artery up towards the heart. The catheter can be used to inject dye for x-rays, open narrowed artery walls, widen heart valves, place stents, or perform other tests and procedures.

Cardiology is a large specialty, and covers many diseases and disorders of the heart as well as several different kinds of treatments. What makes interventional cardiologists special is their ability to use minimally invasive procedures to treat heart disease. Interventional cardiologists may treat coronary artery disease and peripheral artery disease, where blood vessels become narrowed or blocked. They also may repair or replace damaged heart valves.

During a cardiac catheterization, the interventional cardiologist inserts the catheter into a blood vessel through a small incision in the groin or arm. It is then threaded to the blocked artery or into the heart, where tiny tools can be passed through the tube. These tools are used to perform percutaneous coronary interventions, or procedures done to the heart and arteries via catheter. Procedures may include:

Angioplasty, or opening of blocked arteries, often via the inflation of a balloon

Atherectomy, the physical cutting away of plaque buildup

Stenting, the placement of metal springs to hold artery walls open

Heart valve repair or replacement

Closure of holes in the heart

That these procedures can be performed without the pain and recovery time of traditional surgery is truly amazing.